The Pittsburgh Steelers' roster for the 2025 season is nowhere near complete, but fans now have a better idea of what the unit might look like since the 2025 NFL Draft is finally over. The organization spent five selections on the defensive side of the football, while also adding a running back and a quarterback on offense. It was a clear goal of Pittsburgh's to get more physical and stop the run, and the organization took a step in the right direction by drafting Derrick Harmon, Jack Sawyer, and Yahya Black. This will create some competition amongst the defensive positional groups, which will be interesting to watch during training camp.
One of the more interesting positions to watch in Pittsburgh is going to be cornerback. That position is typically interesting because when creating the roster, the coaching staff needs to make sure they have enough players that can play on the outside, while also being versatile enough to play in nickel or dime packages. Pittsburgh added Darius Slay Jr., Donte Kent, and Brandin Echols to the cornerback room during the 2025 offseason, and Slay is presumed to be starting opposite Joey Porter Jr.
Slay and Porter have their roster spots locked up, and team insider Mike DeFabo believes Cory Trice and Echols do as well. He suggested in a recent article for The Athletic that the final roster spot in the cornerback room will come down to a battle between Beanie Bishop Jr., Kent, and James Pierre.
"The 34-year-old Slay signed a one-year, $10 million deal this offseason," DeFabo wrote. "He will step right into a starting role opposite Porter and could give the Steelers a chance to play more man coverage. Pittsburgh kept five cornerbacks last year. Echols and Trice can both play on the outside and are contenders for roles in the nickel and dime packages, respectively. That creates competition between Bishop, Kent and Pierre. The ability to thrive in the nickel will be a key part of that camp battle."
Some fans may be surprised to learn that Bishop's roster spot could be in jeopardy, but that is the reality of the situation. He was an undrafted free agent for Pittsburgh in 2024, and he earned the starting slot cornerback job almost immediately. He certainly had some rough moments on the field early on, but a large portion of the fan base loves him, and the four interceptions he recorded during the 2024 season was clutch.
Bishop burst onto the scene when he picked off Aaron Rodgers twice during a win over the New York Jets. He then followed that up by recording the game-sealing interception against the New York Giants the following week. He had some splash plays throughout his rookie year, but there were times where the opposing offense was picking on him. He also lost some of his playing time once Cam Sutton got done serving his suspension.
Steelers' Beanie Bishop Jr. Could Get Cut At The End Of Training Camp
DeFabo believes Porter, Slay, Echols, and Trice are all locks to make the initial 53-man roster. He also acknowledged that the Steelers usually keep five cornerbacks, which means the final spot on the roster would come down to Pierre, Kent, and Bishop. When it comes to a decision on the final spot at a certain position, the coaching staff will likely consider versatility as well as contributions on special teams.
Pierre has been a special teamer for the Steelers for five years now, so the franchise is familiar with him and what he can do. Kent is an exciting rookie who excelled as a return man at the college level, and Bishop played 175 special teams snaps in 2024. If Pierre or Kent can use their special teams skills to surpass Bishop, there is a chance the Year 2 player could end up off of the final roster. This is an unfortunate reality as he was a heavy fan-favorite, and if he has shown a decent amount of improvement, he could still find a way to sneak onto the roster.
